The Apartment
by Ohappydaze
Summary: In which Thor floods a building and Loki is unfortunate.
1. Chapter One

**Hey, guys! This is a little AU ****idea I had running around in my head a while. It's more for my own amusement, than anything. Meaning it's kind of ridiculous xD But, hey, maybe you guys will like it, too...(Cool story, bro)  
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**Annywaays, enjoy! And thank you for reading!**

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><p>"Now, what started as a pleasant, warm evening turned out to be a disaster in short-coming when the well-known masked villain by the name of <em>Doctor Doom <em>unleashed havoc on the lower side of New York City. Here's Barbara with the details."

_Thump! Thump! Thump! _

"Thanks, John...At seven a.m. this morning, mother of two, Stacy Marlow and her twin boys were visiting the school park, when, as it was described, a _flash of lightning _seemed to scorch the cars across the street. As you can see, the damage was minimum in comparison to the rest of the area-"

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

"-Authorities claim to have had the situation under control, but a new press release from Sheriff Henry Anderson states that he was "Grateful for the efforts of Reed Richards, and other members of Fantastic Four." Who, without which, the city may have-"

_Thump! "ARRRG!" THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!  
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At last he couldn't take it, anymore. Not that Barbara's news report was anything close to riveting, but this was really just ridiculous.

Pale, slender fingers reached slowly toward the small rectangle that controlled the picture-box, and a single finger made Barbara fall silent as she re-accounted the noble deeds of the so-called Fantastic Four. Loki stared at her silent lips for a moment, noting that she had far too much lipstick on, then cocked his head a little sideways over his shoulder.

"Having fun?" He called pleasantly over the back of the navy blue sofa.

Far back in the apartment, the sound of a heavy leg knocking over a set of tools rung out, alongside the clattering of a fallen wrench, and a grunt.

"Instead of mocking me, brother, perhaps you should consider making use of yourself and _assisting_ me?" A disgruntled voice called back, slathered with anger and rapidly growing frustration.

"Oh, no." Said Loki calmly, letting the remote fall back to the seat by his side, "I treasure my life, and therefore have no intentions of endangering it by being around you at the moment. Especially not when you've been outdone so easily by Midgardian plumbing."

Proving his point perfectly, the sound of a thick hand slapping a pipe, and a loud shout of anger exploded from the bathroom. Thor was getting close to wits end, and it was only a matter of time before things began flying. Loki felt almost sorry for their poor sink, but not to the point where he would risk his life to try and save it.

"Confound and blast this poor excuse for water luxury!" Cried Thor furiously, warning Loki that the battle with the sink was coming to an end. His brother was now facing an infuriating, humiliating defeat, which certainly wouldn't bode well with the God of Thunder.

"Well, perhaps now you will think twice before attempting to fit an entire jar of peanut butter down the drain." Said Loki with a mildly amused expression.

Thor at last emerged from the bathroom, wringing his hand, which must have been sore from his earlier attempts to "unscrew the pipe" with only brute strength as his weapon, before Loki reminded him there were tools for that kind of thing. The God's face was flushed red, and his golden strands were askew and messily arranged across his unhappy face.

"The marble bin was not capturing the water long enough to allow me to wash my face, I had no choice but to create my own means of keeping it full." Said Thor in a tone he must have thought logical.

Loki just sighed a little and came to the conclusion that he would abandon this ever-informing _news station _for the more entertaining show of his brother being an idiot. Turning off the picture box, Loki leaned his elbows into his knees and gazed up at the one in question.

"You are aware that there is a feature installed into the sink that does this for you?" He asked, allowing an ink-black eyebrow to arch. Thor's face flushed as red as a tomato, and with a startling force, he threw his hands back toward the bathroom.

"Why did you not tell me so, earlier?-!" He accused loudly.

"Why, you didn't ask." Said Loki innocently. He smiled and let out a trickling laughter, only causing Thor's chest to heave a little harder.

"You know that information would have been helpful!" Said Thor through gritted teeth, trying, and failing, to keep his temper in check.

"Yes, but can you really blame me for being curios when you ran out of the kitchen with a jar over your head, loudly declaring that you would_ TAME THIS DISOBEDIENT SINK WITH THE STICKY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE "PEANUT BUTTER!_" Said Loki, throwing his fist up in a flawless imitation of his brother, who didn't find the display very amusing.

"A good brother would have informed me of this feature you mentioned!" Thor spat angrily, loosing his patience.

"And who said I was a good brother?" Asked Loki sincerely, giving him a charming smile, and successfully dropping the straw that broke the camel's back.

Shaking his head laboriously, as if pure anger were weighing it down, Thor pointed at his little brother wordlessly before swerving around and storming back to the bathroom, which wasn't exactly what Loki expected him to do.

"Ah, ah, ah! What are you doing?" Asked Loki, cutting off his smile promptly. He had expected Thor to simply shout more amusing things, but instead he realized that he triggered something much worse. Loki knew that look Thor gave him. It was the look before something exploded, metaphorically and literally.

Alarmed, yet admittedly eager to see what his brother was going to attempt, Loki rushed to get off the couch and walked quickly over to the bathroom, already hearing the sound of a toolbox being turned inside-out. When Loki reached the doorway, the sight to behold there did not disappoint.

Thor had a hold of the largest wrench in the recently-bought tool box (it was an item most needed, and most frequently replaced. An explanation for both about to be demonstrated.) and a scowl marred his usually cheerful face.

"Now, what may I ask are you doing?" Loki asked, perking up on his toes in order to get a better view of the exposed pipe in the floor cabinet, which Thor was now aiming at with the wrench swinging like a batter in wait of the ball.

"Stand aside, little brother." Thor growled as a response. All of sudden, Loki wasn't quite so amused, anymore. His emerald eyes flashed wider as it clicked in his clever mind that his thick-skulled brother was actually going through with this.

"Wait, Thor, let's not-!"

The sentence was sliced off with a deafening explosion of too many noises at once. Debris flew every which way, giving Loki barely enough to time to jolt into covering his head with thin, lanky arms. The clanging sound of metal against metal repeated several times, and the flimsy wood of the cabinet could be heard splitting into pieces.

Now, normally when Thor threw these kind of fits, things were broken and then the noise halted almost at once. But this time only more alarming sounds coated the air, and Loki distinctly heard water spraying out forcefully all over the floor. His eyes were still sealed shut, with his arms creating a lame cover for his head, and his leg awkwardly poised upward in attempts to get away from the demolition sight. It wasn't until he felt cold water snaking its way underneath his sock that he lowered his guard and dared to take in the damage.

Thor stood looking like a soldier from battle. The bent wrench hung loosely in his hand, parroting a sword. Water soaked the front of his shirt like blood, and his chest pumped breathlessly. Wood, like corpses, lay in pieces around the steadily flooding bathroom, and the pipe was snapped and misshapen to the point where it sprayed mouthfuls of water directly at the wall across.

Loki didn't even know his mouth was open until he found it flapping up and down, the infamous Silver Tongue searching for something to say.

"You...You honestly-!" He ran his fingers through slicked back hair, then, shaking his head as it finally conjured something sensible, gestured largely at the pipe, "Well, clog it up! G-get something to stop it!"

Whatever trance Thor was in snapped in half with Loki's words. With widened eyes, he tossed the wrench aside and looked frantically around, flapping his hands as if he expected it would summon a means to stop the horizontal waterfall.

"What do I use?-!" He shouted over the blasting noise, looking to Loki for help. As the God of Mischief abandoned his post to rush into the bathroom, Thor snapped his fingers idealistically, "The peanut butter-!"

"NO!" Scolded Loki instantly, shoving his unhelpful brother out of the way. He bent over and grabbed the toolbox from the line of fire, being thoroughly drenched in the process, which made him hiss in displeasure. With a heavy sigh, he looked over his shoulder at his brother with a mockingly wide grin, "Well, nicely done, Thor! You fixed the pipe with astounding workmanship! I'm impressed, _really_."

"I meant only to tap the pipe out of place! Forgive me that I didn't have the knowledge in regard to the fact that _this _would happen!" Said Thor in defense to the sarcasm, giving wild gestures to the room as he referred to it. Loki snorted at his description of "tapping" the pipe out of place, and rummaged feverishly through the box for any kind of object that might help them.

"Can't you just use your tricks, brother?" Thor pressed, raising a foot as his jeans steadily took in the water. Loki shook his head.

"It could only make things worse, I have no knowledge of the outcome!" He replied loudly, afterward adding with a scoff, "Though, that didn't seem to stop _you!_"

Thor swore under his breath and hurried past Loki to look out into the hallway, where a large puddle was increasing through-out the apartment.

"Not good." He said, panicked, "Loki, the water is spreading! If it damages the other living quarters in this building, I feel we may not be welcome to reside here any further."

"Then help me, if you're so attached to our living quarters!" Came an extremely bitter response. Thor looked over his broad shoulder and saw that Loki had pulled out the second largest wrench and was fighting against the water stream to get to the pipe.

At first, Thor was confused as to why his highly intelligent brother was using the same irrational method that caused this mess, but then he realized that Loki was only using the wrench as something to cuff the neck of the pipe in order to push it back to a slightly normal shape. However, his brother wasn't exactly known for brawn and strength, and it was only a matter of seconds before, with the added distraction of the water, his hand slipped and he fell face-forward into the stream force.

Frazzled, Thor quickly lunged forward to help his flailing brother. He wrapped his arms around Loki's waist and tried to pull him back, only to feel his body snag and tug with each pull.

"MY ARM'S STUCK!" Loki screeched in high-pitched annoyance, his face turned sideways and his eyes sealed shut against the constant water in his face, "I SWEAR, THOR, IF I DROWN, I'LL KILL YOU FROM VALHALLA!"

"What is it stuck on?-!" Shouted Thor, ignoring the threat for more pressing matters. Considering a torrent of liquid was being blasted in his face, Loki probably didn't hear his older brother's question, and seemed to begin working at his wrist. Urgently, Thor peered over Loki's crouched body and saw that his brother's wrist was so thin, it managed to slip between a crook in the bent pipe, but now couldn't find a way back out.

Moving the pipe would mean potentially hurting his brother, and if Thor continued to pull Loki, he was certain he would rip in half. He was at lost for ideas, and briefly took amputation to mind...They did have a saw lying around...Or, wait!

The thought was pushed out by a much more reasonable one. Thor's face brightened, then fell grim once more as he pushed himself up from the floor.

"Alright! Fear not, Loki! I shall return, I promise!" Thor screamed directly in Loki's ear, loud enough to be certain that the God of Mischief didn't miss a word, "Do not die while I am absent!"

"What?-!" Loki protested, giving his arm another harsh tug, "Don't you dare leave me like this!...Thor! _THOR!_"

The God of Thunder ignored his pleas and stormed out of the room, with only one thing in mind. And where that thing was called for him to make a trip two floors down...

oOoOo

Blue prints, blue prints, blue prints. It's all Tony Stark saw these days, and it was becoming the last thing he wanted to look at. Agent Coulson had some nerve giving such a high-demand order for Nick Fury's little project. But, then again, it's not like he wasn't being paid enough. Actually, on the opposite side, the billionaire was being paid over time, thanks to a little gift called negotiating and signature charm.

His pen dropped for the first time that day, and Tony eased back in his chair with a sigh as he glanced over his formula. It looked pretty important, he noted with a mental pat on his back, which is all that really mattered. Who cares that it was actually a pretty simple principle for a weapon: Presentation meant everything.

"Hey, Pep?" He called absently to the other side of the room. The sound of fingers dancing across a keyboard came to a halt as his personal assistant gave pause to her own work.

"No more coffee." She said flatly. And, like that, the clacking resumed. Tony sighed deeply and shut his eyes. With a leisure push of his foot, he swiveled his chair around and faced the woman, slouching in his seat.

"Whassa matter? Am I too energetic for you?" He asked in his haggardly fatigued voice, completely dead-pan.

"No, quite the contrary." Said Pepper tartly, pushing her own chair around with far more elegance, "You haven't slept in thirty-one hours. I'm not letting you stay up any longer."

Tony raised an eyebrow, his head bobbing a little, "Wasn't aware you timed my hours of being awake." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked out the window with fake muse, "Should I be creeped out?"

"This is serious, Tony." Said Pepper in her business-like tone, her hands folded neatly on her blue, pencil skirt. One of many in her style-limited wardrobe, "You're over working yourself, again. I'm sure SHIELD would be much happier if their main source of weapons supply was alive for the demonstration next week."

"Aww, I bet you say that to every man." Said Tony with a wave of his hand, and a lightly flirtatious smile. She always tried her hardest to refrain from the motion, but Pepper rolled her eyes.

"You need to go to bed." She finished with a pressing perk of an eyebrow.

"Can't, mommy. I've got too much homework." Said Tony with a loud inhalation of breath as he turned a quarter back to his desk and played his hands along his notebooks.

"Please stop joking around." Said Pepper, growing aggravated. She forgot how Tony got on this snarky over-load mode whenever he was far too tired, "I'm trying to hold a normal conversation concerning your health."

"And I'm trying to slyly worm my way around it." Replied Tony, holding his hands open, "And, hey, check it out: It's working."

Pepper let out an empty laugh, "So you think. However, you won't be saying so when I've got you tied to your bed in a few seconds."

She regretted it the moment it was said, as could be seen by a suppressed groan and the closing of her eyes, but Tony wasn't going to let that be enough. His drooped eyelids opened a bit, and a wry smile slid up onto his face as he pushed his chair back away from her with his hands held up to help distance himself.

"Whoa, now. Didn't think you were that kind of gal, Pepper. Kinda hot, I'm gonna admit."

"You know I didn't mean it like that, Mr. Stark."

"Oh? So it's _Mr. Stark, _now? Trying to hide your kinky, deeper motivations, are you?"

"Tony-"

"Ah, and we're back to _Tony._.."

Pepper was getting past her barrier of patience, and was about to get firm with her arguing, when a harsh pounding from the door of the apartment caught both of their attention and stopped the bantering at once. Tony and Pepper exchanged brief glances, then both rose from their chairs and left the office to enter the main hall.

"Let me get it, Tony!" Pepper tried to persuade, snagging his shoulder, only to have him pull free from her grip and come to a stop by the apartment door.

The pounding never ceased, and when Tony peered through the peep hole, he half expected the Trojan army to be there, trying to break his front door down. Of course, it really may have well been the case when he saw the God of Thunder standing in the hallway on the other side.

"Ah, great." Said Tony, barely above a whisper, "Looks like sexy time's gonna have to wait, Pep."

He straightened himself up, ignoring Pepper's aggravated sigh, then unlocked the door and pulled it open. He was about to let out a sarcastic comment about Thor's gentle knocks, when a fist flew by his face and snapped him awake better than any swallow of caffeine could.

"Whoa, hey!" He shouted, taking a step back as Pepper jolted at the sudden attack, "Watch it!"

"Forgive me!" Thor said quickly, withdrawing the sideways fist that had been meant for the door. He swallowed quickly and took half a moment to regain his breath. It looked he had been running a marathon..._In the rain_, Tony noted, glancing down at the steadily soaking carpet.

"I am in need of assistance." Said Thor hurriedly, once capturing his breath again, "Lady Potts, I fear it is yours specifically that I seek."

Tony stepped to the side to gaze back at Pepper, where Thor's baby blue eyes were now focused. Dumbfounded by the sudden burst of energy, Pepper looked from Tony, back to the God of Thunder, and shook her head a little, bringing herself to her senses.

"Wh-what do you need?" She managed to get out, holding her hands out, palms upward.

"Small hands." Said Thor with a definite nod, regarding her gesture.

Pepper looked down at her fingers, and could feel her face instantly pale. The last time she was called to help due to her hand size, she nearly sent Tony into cardiac arrest. Admittedly, she wasn't too thrilled about this new task, whatever it may be, and silently wished she had been born with man hands.

"What's wrong, why?" Pepper then asked, having no real order for her questions as she looked back up inquisitively.

"My brother is trapped to a sink, and I fear he may be dying as we speak." Said Thor almost fiercely. Pepper stared at him with widened eyes and, after the sudden silence, Tony bust out laughing.


	2. Chapter Two

**Thank you for all the reviews, guys! That was one of the best handful of comments I've ever gotten, and it made my heart smile! :D**

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><p>Something was different about his apartment. And not in the <em>1943 technology, versus early 2000's<em> _technology _kind of way Steve Rogers normally took notice of whenever he encountered something even vaguely new. It was more the _water is dripping down from your ceiling and soaking that leftover pasta you had on the table _type deal.

Steve could feel his groceries slipping from his thick arms as he stared in wonder and confusion at the steadily growing mark on his ceiling. It seemed to be coming from the apartment directly above his own, but the man couldn't for the life of him remember whose apartment that was. If it was someone he knew, he would have gone to check and see if everything was okay. Then again..Maybe he should, anyway, stranger or not. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if someone drowned on his neighborly watch.

Morals always getting the best of him, Steve quickly lowered his bags to a nearby flower stand, _(flowers always seemed to cheer him up. They were the one thing that didn't change in this new world.) _and turned back around to exit his apartment only seconds after he entered.

The Captain took a few steps away from his door to notice that the watermark had spread to the hallway of the seventh floor. It looked only a matter of minutes before the water seeped through to the other apartments. With a slightly concerned expression, Steve turned and quickly headed for the nearby staircase.

If he ever thought that finding the apartment would be hard, he was sorely mistaken the second he stepped out of the winding, cement staircase and into a thin puddle that made the carpet give a light, _squelch._

Pulling a face, Steve lifted his foot, then glanced up to trail the puddle back to its point of origin: Only a few doors down from where the staircase opened to the eighth floor. It was so close, Steve could tell from where he stood that the door to the apartment was gaping wide open, which struck further alarm in him.

Without any more hesitation, the Captain ran forward, sliding a little as he came to a halt in the doorway of apartment _831._

Unable to bring himself to enter without permission, the over-polite man stood uncertainly with each hand cupping a side of the door frame, and his head poking inside as he called out nervously, "Uhm? H-hello? Is there anyone here?"

There was no reply. Steve anxiously waited a few minutes more, taking note of the small pool coating the wooden floor of the living room, then came to the conclusion that he had better at least check inside. If there _was _someone in there, he could always apologize and explain his reasons. Being yelled at for intrusion was certainly better than just standing around, not knowing if someone just died in a watery explosion, or not.

Steve stepped inside, aiming for the bathroom in the back hallway, which seemed to be the cause of this all; further proven by the sound of gushing water that emitted loudly from it...The very sound that prevented Loki from hearing the Captain's calls, and keeping him from knowing of his presence.

The God of Mischief had long since given up on trying to pull his hand free. He figured trying any kind of magic would only hurt himself further, and trying to shape-shift into something smaller may end up with himself being completely clipped between the pipe as a mouse, or a cat.

So, submitting to a temporary truce with the pipe, Loki found that he was completely bored. And completely _wet._

After endless minutes of nothing but the sound of spraying water to accompany him, Loki's mind began to wander, which was never a good thing. He started to think of a scene from a movie on the picture box he saw the other night. It was a about a boat that sunk, due to the interference of an iceberg...There was a scene in that film where a man was handcuffed to a pipe, while the room he was in steadily started to flood.

This is kind of how Loki felt, and he sympathized greatly for that man. He even began to fantasize himself in that situation, which wasn't too hard, considering.

As he day-dreamed, Loki started to hum the tune to a song that played during the film. It was a decent enough song, and he started to get the greatest urge to burst out singing. But he restrained himself from doing so, for the mere reason that he feared water getting into his lungs. Then he recalled that he had nothing better to do, he had been defeated by a sink, and overall just really didn't give a damn, anymore. So, Loki went ahead and decided, _why not?__  
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Steve reached the bathroom door just as Loki threw his head back and flat-out belted: _"YOOOU'RE HEEREE! THERE'S NOOOTHING I FEEAAR! ANND I KNOOW THAT MY HEART WIIILL GO OOON! WEEE'LL STAAY- _Oh, hello, Steven-_FOREEEVER THIS WAY!_ _YOU ARE SAAAFE IN MY HEART, AND-_"

Now, picture yourself walking in on a God with his arm stuck in the pipe of a sink, whilst singing at you that you're here and there's nothing he fears because you're safe in his heart, and his heart will go on, then dismissing that this was anything odd at all, and that is a tenth of the confusion that Steve Rogers felt just then.

All the man could do was stare as Loki continued to trill in a voice that would have been pleasant to listen to, had Steve not just been punched in the face with the weirdest situation you could ever come across. Coming back to his senses, Steve blinked before steadying himself against the door frame.

"L-Loki?-!" He choked out at last, as the Trickster continued with his song in a nonchalant manner. Shaking himself free of remaining bewilderment, Steve looked around at the room, which was more like a bathtub now, more than anything, "Wh-what happened?-!"

He screamed it so Loki could hear over the water, as well as his beautiful karaoke. Loki gazed back at him over his shoulder with an abnormally calm expression as he continued to sing out the final lyrics of the song between shouts at Steve.

"Thor got upset, or couldn't you tell?" He explained, wrapping the tune up with an anti-climatically breathless pant. His lungs had already taken their toll from when he tried to scream at Thor not to leave him. And it was all in vain, too. The only thing Loki got out of it was a mouthful of water, before he learned to crane his neck up in the most uncomfortable way imaginable in order to steer clear of the pounding water, while Thor frolicked off to who-knows-where, happy as can be.

His big brother was going to get _such_ a big hug when this was all over...

Meanwhile, the explanation didn't clear things up for Steve as well as Loki could have hoped, and the poor man looked on the verge of a panic attack as he tried to figure things out, "So, h-he pinned you to a pipe, or-? No, nevermind, it doesn't matter. Just...Hang on! I'll get-!"

"No, NO!" Said Loki, falling into seriousness all of a sudden, as Steve got close to grabbing him and and pulling, just like Thor did, "It's no use, I'm stuck! So, _please, _do my arm a favor?"

"Well, what do we do, then?-!" Steve replied, amazed at how Loki could have gotten himself into a position like this. And where was Thor? Did he honestly just abandon his brother?

Loki glanced up at him with a strikingly honest expression.

"You know, Steven. I'm not quite sure. Throughout my entire time of being stuck here, I never _once_ asked myself that question." Replied the God in that sincere, yet oddly degrading tone that only Loki could pull off. Hard to believe this man was just singing the theme song for the _Titanic.  
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Steve didn't bother to try and riddle out the sarcasm. Instead he just looked around the bathroom, as if searching for someone, and addressed the question that had been bothering him since the initial shock of seeing Loki getting cozy with a sink did.

"Where's Thor?" He said, looking back down at Loki, who was now repositioning himself so he didn't have to strain his neck so far above the water.

"Like I have the slightest idea." Responded Loki with another bitter sigh, "He just took off, promising another of his valiant efforts regarding my escape."

"He didn't even tell you where he was going?" Steve repeated, more for his own purposes than anything.

Didn't Thor understand that, if Loki swallowed too much water by accident, his brother could seriously drown in this situation? Steve knew Thor was an irrational man, to say the least, but the Captain never once took into consideration that it might be a risk to your life to try and live with him. It almost made him curious as to why Loki, of all people, decided to do exactly this, even though he could have lived independently of his brother, if he truly wished.

As Steve mulled this over, Loki decided to answer his rhetorical question and gazed off into space.

"No...In fact, it's been quite some time since he left," He mused, "Perhaps he tripped over his own feet and fell down the stairs somewhere along the way?"

As the amused, sadistic chuckle let loose, Steve's confusion was solved, and he came to a new level of understanding in the field of Loki and Thor's roommate status.

"Do you want me to go look for him?" Pressed Steve, pretending that Loki's fantasy was a hint that he was growing concerned for his older brother, not a passively aggressive form of revenge.

"If you wish, Steven. I obviously can't do anything to stop you." Said Loki with a perfectly even tone, though Steve had a feeling he was still taking jabs at Thor's stupidity.

"Alright." Steve nodded, taking on that heroic attitude that lead men into battle on so many occasions. He refrained from telling Loki to _wait there, _and headed out the door, calling over his back that he would return shortly.

Loki watched him go with a mildly entertained expression, noting that this was the second time that day a toned idiot shouted things at him before storming off at random, then looked back at the pipe and started singing again.

oOoOo

"You know, Thor, there _are _people who you can hire to fix your plumbing _for _you." Said Tony as him, Pepper, and the breathless God of Thunder jogged up the staircase as fast as Pepper's heels would allow them, "Shoulda called someone up before trying to bust the pipe open yourself.

"Another vital piece of information that could have spared me hours worth of toil, and Loki's danger." Thor grumbled to himself, brushing Tony's comment off with a backward glare. As Tony raised his hands defensively, Thor looked past the man's shoulder to see Pepper catching up with them.

"So, what exactly is it you want me to do?" Asked Pepper, clinging to the railing as she hopped up two more steps to come in pace with Tony.

Thor never really gave them a decent explanation. Shortly after he told them of Loki's position, he quickly threw in that it was his _own grievous fault that the outcome became what it is. The doings of the pipe destruction was by my hand, and I fear I should not have considered peanut butter as an alternative to keeping the water in the bin.  
><em>Then, without granting Pepper more time to flap her mouth up and down, and before Tony split a lung, the God grabbed them each by the wrist and pulled them along the way to the staircase.

"Forgive me, Lady Potts. I forgot to elaborate...I was hoping, with your small, maidenly fingers, you could free my brother from the pipe with more ease and gentility." Thor explained, taking a final bound to the platform on which the door to the eighth floor stood.

Pepper came to a stop and took a moment to gaze at her hands. Maidenly, said the extraordinarily attractive God of Thunder...They were _m__aidenly._ If the head of her High School cheerleading squad could see her now...

"Come, we have not another moment to loose." Said Thor all of a sudden, breaking her from her dreamy state. She shook herself out of her mental nonsense, and quickly joined the two men at the platform, where Thor already had a too-firm grip on the handle.

As Thor said, not a moment was wasted. The God yanked the door open with such force, he nearly knocked Pepper and Tony in the face with it. Once the door was wide enough to pass through, Thor bolted down the hallway, ignoring what Pepper and Tony couldn't take their eyes off. Namely, the small lake growing in the hallway of their apartment building.

"Oh...Wow." Was all Pepper could say as she stepped onto the carpet as if it were molten lava that would burn her if she went too quickly.

"Glad I wasn't the only one who thought the place could use an indoor swimming pool." Added Tony with much more sarcasm to his thought, passing Pepper down the hall, as the woman drew her attention over to the opened apartment door a little ways off.

When Pepper trotted over to the apartment, the amount of water literally stunned her. She could already tell that Thor was going owe big bucks to the land lord. Her lips tightened as she looked around, and exchanged raised eyebrows with Tony. They both knew how much it would cost to fix this, and for a moment they both forgot why they were here as they satisfied their secret inner-accountants with calculations of exactly _how much _that would be.

Thor, on the other hand, had his already narrow mind set on one thing, and he hurried to make sure that one thing wasn't dead. Relief beyond imaging washed over Thor when he saw his younger sibling well and alive. Agitated, no doubt, but alive.

"Brother! I have returned with help!" Cried Thor, slapping a great hand on the doorframe of the bathroom. Loki, who was singing some sort of song that involved rocking people, stopped at once, and glanced over with a less-than-enthusiastic look.

"Oh, goodie." Was all he said, with a hard tinge of poorly hidden hatred in his tone.

Thor seemed a little confused as to why his brother reacted so coldly, then shrugged the feeling off as he was forced to remind himself that he shouldn't expect praise for his heroism from Loki, when, after all, this was...sort of, kind of, perhaps slightly his fault to begin with...But only a little.

Turning away from his little brother, Thor looked back to the living room and beckoned for Tony and Pepper to stop gazing in horror at his broken electronics, and join him by his side. The two obliged instantly and trekked over to peer into the the bathroom. It took two seconds before Tony was back in the living room, getting nasty glares from Pepper as he clutched at his stomach in hysterics.

"Mature." She said sourly, looking back at Loki. Normally, even _she _wouldn't be able to resist a chuckle at the sight. But she knew too well what it was like for Loki: Living with an idiot and paying for his consequences all the time. Plus, that puppy-eyed gaze he was giving her with those huge, green orbs made it hard for_ anyone _to be mad.

"Ah, Lady Potts." Greeted Loki loudly, pretending not to be aware of how his look endeared her to him. Yes, he was unashamedly playing for pity. Loki had learned over the years that it's always good to have women on your side, especially if it includes a _rich _one. These repairs weren't going to pay for themselves..."I'm sorry we must meet once more in this...Well, less than desirable circumstance."

"Not your fault." Answered Pepper with a brief nod, already sloshing through the water to get to the sink. She weaved her way around Loki, the pipe, and, more pointedly, the water gushing _out _of the pipe, and circled her way to a dry zone next to the source of the problem.

She pinched the mid section of her skirt and hitched it up a little as she came to kneel by the side of the pipe, ignoring the uncomfortable, pricking sensation that the split, had-been cabinet wood gave her knees. She took a moment to fleck some loose strands of ginger hair out of her face, then leaned forward, lowly muttering to herself.

"Okay, let's see." She said in a voice that couldn't be heard over the torrent. She raised her hands and used the firm parts of the pipe as support as she gazed to the center of the problem.

Thor had seriously done a number on this pipe. It was warped and twisted in a way that no pipe should ever be. It was no wonder that Loki's hand got pinched between it, there were so many gaps and crannies. Pepper let out a low sound of pity when she saw where Loki's hand was: Stuck between two folds of the metal tube, with his fingers blue from lack of circulation. No doubt his wrist would be sore for the next few days, but that was Thor's problem, not Pepper's.

"Alright, I think I see a way to get you out." Called Pepper carefully, as if she was examining a delicate artifact that could break apart at any moment, "It might hurt a little, though."

"Do what needs to be done." Said Loki steadily, passing her a look, then moving on to Thor with a subtle glare, "I will just be glad to be free to _move _again in order to take care of some things..."

Taking the deeper hint from that, Thor clapped his hands and made a point of throwing in a lame apology, "I _am_ most sorry for this, Loki."

"Oh, I'm certain you are." Said Loki with a nod, as he added, "And will be, later..._Ouch__!_"

"Sorry, sorry!" Pepper apologized, pulling her hand back from where it had been directing Loki's fingers back through the crevice, "I can find another way-"

"No, I'm fine. Carry on." Said Loki with a small smile and a pressing nod. Pepper could detect the urgency behind his expression, and realized that she would probably look that desperate, too, if she was stuck to a pipe that beat her with water in the face. Still, she knew there was a better way to go about this and, being the effective person she was, became determined to find it.

"Thor!" She called over, glancing at the God of Thunder, who was lingering behind her like a worried parent as their child went into surgery. Or a husband, waiting for his wife to give-okay, Pepper wished she had stopped at the parent one.

"Yes, what is it you need?" Asked Thor earnestly, ready to do whatever to help mend what he had done. Pepper looked to Loki for a moment, then back at his brother.

"Go get some butter." She ordered. Thor's expression changed drastically for the worse, and, understanding why that was, Pepper quickly corrected herself, "Not the peanut butter. Just...Butter, butter!"

"Ah!" Said Thor, calming again. Even Loki's shoulders sagged a bit at the relieving news. It would be a long time before these men could eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, again.

As Thor charged out of the bathroom, Pepper looked back at Loki, who had his eyes trained on the doorway and a light smile on his lips.

"Watch," He said without looking at Pepper, "he is going to return with the cream cheese."

Pepper looked dubious for a half a second, but before she could say anything, Thor returned in the doorway with the small, grey cream cheese container in his hand.

"Is this it?-!" He asked, holding it out. Pepper blinked a few times, not hearing Loki's small chuckles, then looked back past Thor and into the hallway. Thor was fired with her next order.

"TONY, QUIT LAUGHING AND GO GET THE BUTTER!"

oOoOo

"Ew. Ew. Ew."

A heavy sigh escaped from the woman with a box in her hands. She looked back over her shoulder at the girl with glasses, who was carrying another two boxes: Stacked on top of each other. For some reason, Darcy had been thoroughly disgusted with something the entire walk from the parking lot, to Jane Foster's new apartment building. And the scientist, tired of the constant sounds from her intern, decided to put an end to it.

"Okay, Darcy. I'll give. What's so gross?" Asked Jane with a light sigh, stopping so she could look back at the college student with a raised eyebrow.

Glad to finally have the attention she was so persistently seeking, Darcy let her head loll back and out a heavy groan.

"Exercise. Exercise is _gross, _okay? Why couldn't we hire movers to take all your crap up _for _you?" She complained, letting her head roll forward again, with long, black strands falling over her face, which she corrected with a carefully aimed puff of air.

Jane shook her head and rolled her eyes a little, "It's not _crap, _it's _equipment. _Equipment that can't be trusted in the hands of movers. Get it?"

"Oh, it's that SHIELD stuff, is it?" Said Darcy, glancing down at her boxes with a doubled look of disgust. It had been kind of cool at first, being sworn to secrecy by some super-duper-secret-agency, but the thrill quickly wore off when Darcy, Eric, and Jane were all scooped up from their homes and transferred to New York City in order to "be more available." As Agent Coulson put it.

"Shh, not so loud!" Said Jane in a hushed voice, looking around the lobby of the (actually, very nice) apartment, as if anyone who heard Darcy would understand exactly what she was talking about, "We were told to be subtle about that, remember?"

"Whatevs." Said Darcy bluntly, hoisting her boxes up with a grunt, "Listen, can we just speed this up? Starbucks has this muffin sale, or something, and I want a free muffin for all this work, dammit. I mean, really, couldn't Eric at least get off his lazy butt and help us out with...This...Whoa. Helll_oooo_, freaked-out dude."

The sudden change of tone made Jane look up from where she was following the floor with her eyes. She looked back at Darcy, who was staring straight ahead with her eyebrows perked and her mouth quirked up into a kind of half-smile.

"That." The younger woman stated in a factual tone, "Is a fine specimen of man, right there. Little panicky, but, I mean...I'd tap that."

Confused, but not at all disturbed by Darcy's sudden declaration, Jane swiveled around to see what, or, _who _Darcy was staring at this time. And, for once, she completely agreed with her intern when she spotted the tall, handsome, _toned_ brown-haired man looking rather feverishly around the lobby, as if he was searching for someone.

"Oh...Wow. Hey, there." Said Jane to herself, making Darcy scoff.

"You've got a the God dude, okay? This one's mine." She said, giving Jane a look, though the woman completely ignored her, due to the fact that Darcy's future husband had just spotted them staring, and was now walking toward them at an alarming pace.

Feeling a sharp twinge of nerves shoot up, Jane looked back at Darcy, who was grinning like an idiot. Hearing the footsteps near, Jane started to wonder if Darcy brought her taser with her, but the thought was cut off abruptly when a surprisingly soft voice captured her attention as the man came to a breathless stop in front of them.

"I'm sorry." He said between pants, noting their startled expressions, "I really hate to bother you, but I'm looking for someone. I was wondering if you've seen him: He's about this tall, long blond hair. He was probably very obnoxious and drew unwanted attention to himself...?"

Tall...Blond hair...Obnoxious...The description sounded all too familiar, and Jane could feel her heart skip a beat. She knew SHIELD had re-located him as well, but certainly...Well, would it really hurt to hope?

"Wh-what was his name?" Asked Jane, surprising Steve a little with the sudden alertness in her tone, "He sounds familiar."

"It's...Uhm...Thor." Said Steve, really uncertain of how this woman would take to the odd name.

He was stunned, really, how he still had her attention after giving the description that he did. Most people probably would have just kept walking with their heads hung low. But not this woman. This woman actually allowed a huge grin to spread up on her face, and nearly dropped the box she was carrying, had Steve not ducked down and caught it as it started to slip from her limp hands.

As if she was explaining the woman's reaction, the girl behind her suddenly said:

"Looks like we're gonna have us a nice, romantic reunion."


	3. Chapter Five Million and Cow

**ATTENTION, EVERYONE: YOU. ARE. AWESOME. PEOPLE. Thank you so, so, so, sooo much for all your ah-mazing reviews! :D**

**Pretty much all of you got it in an instant, but for the sake of those who didn't, the song Loki was singing in the previous chapter was "My Heart Will Go On" From the Titanic. I'm sure he sounded beautiful xD**

**Sorry for the late update, but it was Thanksgiving weekend, and on top of that, my birthday. So I was a bit busy. But now I'm back on track, and hopefully updates will be every Saturday or Sunday, with exceptions.  
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**That all said, please enjoy, you fabulous people, you! :)  
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><p>It was surprising enough that the two women Steve found in the lobby knew Thor, but to meet the God of Thunder's <em>girlfriend, <em>now, of all times, just seemed too coincidental. Not to mention a little weird and confusing...Was Thor even allowedto have girlfriend? Wasn't he a Prince, or something? Doesn't that typically mean that his parents get to choose his romantic interest for him?

After hearing Darcy cough, the Captain realized that he had been spacing out, and adjusted that with a shake of his head. He handed the boxes he had caught from Jane back to the stunned woman, and gave Darcy a pressing look, since asking for information from the girlfriend in question seemed like it might be difficult, on account of her far-off gaze.

"I'm sorry, could you elaborate on that?" He asked carefully, referring to Darcy's comment about a _romantic reunion_.

"Sure." Said Darcy, hitching up her boxes with difficulty, "Thor is Jane's super-hot, mythological boyfriend who she met up with in New Mexico. He recently got transferred 'cause of his job, (or whatever excuse I'm supposed to give) and, until now, we had no idea he was here: Our new apartment building. Haha, lucky you, huh, Jane? You get to live in the same building as him. Pre-tty scandalous."

Jane had been unresponsive, and her eyes had glistened over. But as soon as Darcy's words worked their way into her blank mind, it was all she cared about to get to Thor's apartment as soon as humanly possible. With a startling eagerness, Jane burst to life and shoved the boxes she previously thought so precious into Darcy's face with her excitement, and whipped right back around to face Steve, not noticing the crashing sound her intern made when she hit the ground.

"Can you take us to his apartment?" She all but demanded, the grin on her face close to breaking her skin.

"I-I don't really know if he's _in _his apartment," Steve stuttered, looking a little unhinged by Jane's exuberant reaction. And there seemed to be something else in his expression: Like the hesitancy to mention something important, "You see...Uhm, well...You know, maybe now wouldn't be the best time to go see him..."

Steve really needed to learn how to hide his emotions better, because alarm had struck up on Jane's face like a flare when she saw the concern on his face.

"Why, what's wrong?" She demanded instantly.

Steve glanced at the ground and shifted his weight, "Uhm, well...He busted a pipe, and-"

"And he's not in his apartment?" Asked Darcy, still gathering the odd gadgets that fell out of the boxes from when she fell (was pushed)_,_ "Shouldn't he, I dunno, be dealing with that?"

"Yes." Said Steve, gesturing to Darcy in a logical tone. Then his face fell again, "Except, uhm...It's not really that simple, see..."

His voice trailed off. Maybe it would be better just to show them what happened with Loki...But then the image of the Trickster God serenading love songs with his hand in a sink came to mind, and Steve came to the conclusion that it might be better for their sanity if he just told them, instead.

"You know Thor's kid brother?" He said at length, dropping his hands to his side in a defeated manner.

Jane's eyebrow twitched as she tried to recall who Steve was talking about. She had once seen Thor standing next to a pale, lanky man with black hair. He looked nothing like Thor, and yet he was introduced as his brother. Oh, but what was his name, again? It started with an L, didn't it?

"Luuucy?" Said Jane, articulating sounds more than trying to make a sincere guess at his name. The sound of Darcy snorting behind her was enough to know that she was wrong. And, ladies and gentlemen, Jane's "Looking like a moron" points just sky-rocketed. It's a new record, folks...

"Loki." Corrected Steve kindly, doing Jane the grace of not mentioning her interesting guess, as the woman did her best not to blush at the mistake, "Yes, so you _do _kind of know him. Well, uhm...He's...I'm really sure how it _happened, _but-"

"Please. I'm on the edge of my seat." Said Darcy flatly as she closed up the last of the boxes. Jane gave the woman a look over her shoulder before turning back at Steve, who's beating-around-the-bush facade had deflated with the comment. He stared at Darcy, who puckered her lips at him, then decided he didn't like her too much and finished his sentence to Jane, instead.

"Loki's hand is stuck to the sink. I'm not quite sure how that happened, so don't ask. He told me Thor left him there to go get help, but I haven't been able to find him, and, quite frankly, I'm not sure if Loki's doing okay. He was singing when I last left him, so I think he's starting to snap."

The Captain finished with his voice drifting off, and closed his mouth tightly, as if regretting his choice to blurt out the information like that. He assessed any changes in his current companions, and, as expected, both women looked like their brains just popped. Darcy was first to react as she pushed herself back off the ground, the boxes teetering in her arms.

"What?" Was all she asked, and yet it seemed to be enough to get Jane's mind back to functioning, and send her off like a firecracker.

"Can you take me there?" She questioned feverishly, plowing over Darcy's comment. Steve, once more, was rattled by her sudden energy, but nodded nonetheless.

"Y-yeah, just over here..." He pointed toward the staircase, and, as if her life depended on it, Jane hurried off, leaving Darcy behind with her mouth gaping open and the boxes threatening to slip again.

"What, really?-!" She called after them as Steve flashed her an apologetic look and followed, "Dude, at least tell me what he was singing! Guys? Come on, I wanna see a karaoke God trapped to a sink! Hello?...Ah, screw you two. I'm gonna go get a free muffin."

And with that, Darcy left the boxes in the lobby and stormed out the door.

**oOoOo**

It didn't take long for Jane and Steve to get to the apartment, and it took an even shorter amount of time for Jane to barge in, trying not to slip on the wet floor, and hurry over to the bathroom with a million thoughts flying around in her head.

Many times since Thor had been uprooted from New Mexico and transferred to who-knows-where, Jane had daydreamed of how they would be re-united. She went through many scenarios, all taking place in different settings, but more or less ending the same way: Passionate kissing, whispered sweet nothings, and maybe Thor would carry her off to Rio.

But, though she was certain she had ruled out every possible situation, Jane somehow managed to miss this one. And when she reached the bathroom, she had to watch expectancy after expectancy fall from her fantasies as she took in the situation unfolding...Well, for all it wasn't, at least it would be as memorable as she dreamed it up to be. Just maybe not for the right reasons.

"Okay, okay! One more try!" Pepper shouted, slathering butter all over the area of pipe surrounding Loki's already greasy fingers, "Here we go! One, two-!"

"FOR ODIN'S SAKE, THOR! LEARN TO COUNT!" Loki shrieked as Thor lunged forward and began yanking him violently backwards. The sharp pain caught the God of Mischief completely off guard, and made him flail his legs in surprise, the force of which caused water to shoot up all over Pepper, who let out a loud swear and stumbled backward into the bathtub.

"YOU SHOULD NOT USE FATHER'S NAME IN SUCH A WAY!" Thor screamed back, refusing to relent in his tugging. He tensed all his great muscles, making Loki stiffen in fear, and pulled back with as much force as he could muster. Which, as predictable, was a little too much.

Loki was free but, at the same time, in no greater position. The two brothers flew two feet back and into the wall, letting out a resonating slamming noise, and making the entire apartment shudder at the impact. Jane jumped at the noise, and Tony, who was standing next to her by her place in the doorway, began to clap and hoot.

"H-how long has this been going on for?-!" Steve demanded, leaning over the stunned Jane to catch Tony's attention. Tony, who seemed unsurprised by the two new spectators, shrugged and tilted his head in the Captain's direction.

"About thirty minutes, or something." He replied, before straightening up and throwing a fist in the air as Pepper pulled herself from the bathtub, looking highly disgruntled, "Go, Pepper! Show 'em what Tony's girl can bring!"

"SHUTUP, STARK!" Pepper barked back, making Tony burst out laughing as she grabbed the shower curtain and began laboriously pulling herself upright, slipping from time to time.

While all this was going on, Loki and Thor were being fully blasted by the water from the pipe. Loki tried to lamely ward it off with the arm that wasn't nearly dislocated, and Thor, confused, tried to figure out how to get them out of their position. Unable to watch, anymore, Steve took pity on them and pushed past the laughing billionaire, and the dumbstruck scientist in order to grab Thor by the bicep and heave him out of the way of the water. Once the God was standing, he clapped Steve on the shoulder before doubling over, panting.

"Thank you, Steve Rogers." Said Thor with a nod and a dry swallow. He took a moment to regain his breath, then stood to face the Captain as he tugged up his dripping, wet pants, "I think now would be a good time to say that this...was _not _how I intended to spend my day..."

Steve let out an empty laugh and nodded, feeling that everyone in the room could agree with that. He looked down at Loki, who, previously on Thor's lap, had tipped over onto the floor when Thor stood up, and now had his head submersed in the water. Steve was going to let him get up on his own, when he realized that Loki was making no effort to breathe.

He quickly darted down at took Loki by the arm, making the God let out a loud whine of pain when he was lifted.

"Stop! Stop! Don't touch it!" Loki snapped, jerking his arm away from Steve as he scrambled to get up on his own. He looked completely mad as he surveyed them all, grabbing at his arm: His hair was matted and askew, his green button-up was untucked and open in some places, and his already wide eyes were wild as they finally came to rest on Thor.

Discovering who the focus was on, the God of Thunder instantly held his hands up and gave a wide, charming smile.

"Loooook, Loki, you are free!" He cheered cautiously, making his hands dance from side to side in a happy manner.

"OH, JOY." Said Loki in the least joyful voice he could conjure.

"Loki!" Pepper gasped, re-obtaining her balance. She walked over to the God and put a hand on his back, despite the homicidal glint in his eye that he was forced to hide when looking at her, "Are you okay? Let me see your wrist."

Loki used his good hand to hold the injured one up, and the entire room hissed between their teeth when they saw the raw, bloodied mark left by the pipe. Loki, on the other hand, only regarded it with slight distaste, and looked over at Thor with the glare still hidden in his gaze.

"I hope you got plenty of sleep last night, brother, because I intend to prevent you from ever doing so, again." He said factually. While Thor fumbled for something to say, Loki let his eyes flicker over Thor's shoulder and was the first to notice Jane's presence. His expression, if anything, became more pleasant at this discovery, and he gave her a polite smile.

"Ah, what a pleasant surprise. It is good to see you, Lady Foster, very good. Ah, now, if you will all excuse me, I need a moment to recollect myself before we lose our precious God of Thunder to a death most miserable." Loki nodded at everyone with a smile, making a point of skipping over Thor, then pushed past the barrier of people to get out of the bathroom and kick up a storm of angry swears just before he left the apartment.

Thor gazed after him, but once Loki was gone, the frozen scientist in the doorway was all he could stare at. Jane opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again and pointed toward the door.

"Wanna grab coffee, tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yes, that would be nice." Thor replied evenly. Jane nodded once, then waved to everyone stiffly before making her way out the door, mentally punching herself for a thousand different things. The room watched her go, then Tony slipped his hands into his pockets and made a clicking sound with his mouth.

"So, uh...I'll call the plumber, then?" He suggested with a beaming white grin.

"Hilarious." Pepper growled, pushing past him on her way out. Thor and Steve exchanged glances, then followed after her, leaving Tony standing, perfectly dry, in the doorway with his arms out defensively.

"Just a friendly suggestion!" He called after them. He paused a few moments, staring at the pipe, then chuckled deeply to himself and followed after the group with the intention to offer them all a much-needed martini.

**oOoOo**

Five hours later, all Thor had was an odd feeling in his stomach, a light buzz from Tony's alcohol, a damaged apartment, and thousands of dollars in expense estimations. On top of all this, he also had an injured little brother who tricks people into pain and suffering for his own entertainment, and happened to have a nasty grudge on his older brother...All in all, it was going to be a long week...

The front door clicked when it shut after the plumber, as if enunciating Thor's trapped situation. He let his broad hand rest on the doorknob, feeling the tension rise up in his body, then glanced over his shoulder, where the source of his uneasiness was occupied with bandaging his wrist, looking perfectly placid as he did so.

Thor flinched inwardly at the sight, and Loki's alarming lack of reaction, then let his hand slide from the door and fall to his side. After a few moments of deep thought, he let out a small breath, then made for the kitchen, taking care to keep his vision downcast when he passed the couch.

Loki glanced up to watch him go, pausing his task of wrapping the cut that rimmed his hand. There was the sound of pots being moved about from the kitchen, giving Loki the hint that Thor was putting things away as procrastination before coming out to face his brother. It made him scoff a little, and shake his head as he finished up the bandaging.

When the clanging noises subsided, heavy, sluggish footsteps were heard coming back to the living room. Thor appeared in the doorway of the kitchen with the biggest look of shame Loki had ever seen on his bold and daring older brother. The God of Mischief looked up attentively at him, making Thor let out the kind of sigh that goes with initiating a difficult discussion.

"Loki, I know you are upset," He started in a dog-handed tone, "but trust me when I say that I did not intend for any of this to happen, nor did I mean to injure you in any way."

Loki raised his good hand to rub his shoulder tenderly, which was sore and bruised from the tugging, then passed Thor a look that made the older of the two clench his jaw in guilt. It was the pout of innocence. Oh, the pout of innocence.

"I do not understand, brother, why I am constantly getting mixed up in your recklessness." Said Loki in his soft, easily endearing voice, "And why, also, I am the one who pays the physical price for them, whereas you end up healthy as an ox."

"It is because you are fragile and meek, brother!" Said Thor with a nervous laugh. He could tell by Loki's blank stare that perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say, but moved past it with a cough, "But perhaps you should stay clear of me when I have a temper, Loki. I have often warned you that it is unwise to be in my presence at such times."

"Then who will clean up your messes?" Challenged Loki, wincing as he eased himself back against the cushions of the sofa, "Mother isn't around to spoil you any longer, dear brother."

"I never asked you to fill mother's place." Said Thor, furrowing his eyebrows a little at the _spoil _comment, and then frowning, as well, when he realized what Loki was implying, "_You_ are not the one who is supposed to care for _me_. Did you forget who is the eldest, here? It is my sworn duty to see you are safe, and well."

Loki took a moment to assess his battered body, his aching shoulder, and his bloody wrist, then turned his gaze back to Thor and smiled, "You're doing a splendid job."

"Come now, Loki, do not be hurtful." Said Thor softly, taking deep offense by the sarcasm, "I _am _doing the best that I can, you know...Unfortunately, and I realize this, my best is not as good as it could be when it comes to the gentler aspects of caring for a person. For instance, pulling your arm out of its socket may not have been the best way to go about things..."

Loki laughed, and ran his fingers through his hair, "No, maybe not."

A hint of a smile pushed Thor's frown up, just as the sound of whistling could be heard from the kitchen. The God of Thunder took a lasting look at his little brother, then pushed himself off the door frame of the kitchen, where had been standing, and retreated into the kitchen. Loki paid no attention to his exit, and instead tried to calm the stinging sensation shooting up the length of his arm.

When he looked up again, some moments later, he wasn't expecting to see Thor standing in front of him with a steaming mug in his hand.

"Hot chocolate." Said Thor, offering the drink to his little brother in a ceremoniously apologetic way, "It is the last packet, and I figured you would want it after your encounter with the water."

Loki hesitated, analyzing the gift, then reached out slowly with his good hand, noting how his damp shirt rubbed against his skin uncomfortably as took the peace offering from Thor. He peered down into the mug, and was met with a frothy smiley face made up with mini-marshmallows.

Loki let out a laugh at the sight, and glanced up at Thor as he took a sip from the warm liquid, "That's cute, brother, I will at least give you that."

"Then I am forgiven?" Thor replied with the same laugh, tucking his hands in his pockets. Loki swallowed and lowered the mug to his lap, feeling the heat from the cup warm his chilled body. He nodded his head back and forth in a contemplative manner, then looked back up at him blankly.

"If you promise not to bring Jane back to the apartment at any time that I'm home, I will call it fair." He negotiated. Thor considered, then nodded.

"That can be done...Just try not to be at home, too often." He added, giving Loki a pointed look before breaking into a joking grin. Loki shrugged with his uninjured shoulder, turning Thor's grin to a laugh, then took another content sip from his drink as his older brother sat next to him with a smile.

Thor could be a moron at times, but he certainly made excellent hot chocolate to make up for it.

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><p><em>Next: Annoying author thing.<br>_


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